The inaugural Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival took place at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, this past weekend and went off without a hitch until inclement weather derailed the event on Sunday afternoon. Given that the same system of storms spawned more than 30 tornadoes over the weekend, it was no surprise that festival staff were cautious when gates opened on the final day. Though Rock on the Range ended it’s 12-year run in 2018, the creation of Sonic Temple carried the torch and did so with authority. The headliners—System of a Down, Disturbed and Foo Fighters— for the three-day festival drew yet another sold-out crowd.
With twenty bands slated to perform across three stages on Friday, the music effectively ran non-stop from 1:45pm until System of a Down left the stage nearly 10 hours later. From Brit upstarts SHVPES to glam rockers Avatar, punk-infused rap outfit Ho99o9, politically-charged sets from Soviet renegades Pussy Riot and Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello, there was enough genre-bending music to keep everybody satisfied. All the while, hardcore rockers Beartooth, Parkway Drive, Black Label Society and Meshuggah satisfied the core demographic that was Rock on the Range.
Morello’s headline set on the smallest of three stages reinforced the strength of the bill, and worked the crowd into a frenzy as he opened his show surrounded by fans in the middle of the field. His trademark style and electronic “scratching” fueled a guitar clinic as he showcased his abilities during the first portion of the show. By mid-set he teased into famous segments from both Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave in a completely instrumental effort that culminated with System frontman Serj Tankian honoring Chris Cornell’s role on “Like a Stone.”
Sibling fronted Halestorm rocked the crowd in the golden hour as the sun began to set. Lzzy Hale’s strong stage presence was equaled by her voice, working through fan favorites on the main stage. They also had the best “aww” moment on the weekend when she brought a young female fan on stage, then presented her a guitar that is certain to inspire the next wave of female musicians.
Tankian halted System of a Down’s performance after the opening notes of “Soldier Side – Intro” due to sound issues. However, it was quickly resolved after a reboot of the sound system fixed the issue and the Armenian-American rockers ripped through nearly 25 more songs, heavily slanted to their favorite efforts Toxicity and Mesmerize. A back and forth synchronization between the band and crowd, the latter chanting in unison as guitarist Davon Malakian and bassist Shavo Odadjian traded signature riffs to begin songs, was easily one of the highlights of the festival, concluding with a ferocious combination of “Toxicity” and “Sugar” to close Friday night.
The Spoken Word and Comedy Tent had its biggest audience on Saturday evening when Andrew Dice Clay headlined the stage, filling the area to capacity with many fans lining both sides of the floor while the fire marshal kept others just outside the tent. While his misogynistic laced humor fell flat at times, his quick wit drew enough laughs to keep people in their seats for the 30-minute routine.
Musically, it was the ferocious set of Fever 333 that first ignited the crowd on Saturday. The hardcore rap outfit, led by spontaneous vocalist Jason Aalon Butler set the bar early. European metal giants Gojira kept that momentum, adding a heavy dose of fire and a guest appearance by Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe on “Backbone.” Guitarist Christian Andreu took a flame to his face when a heavy wind gust redirected pyrotechnics into his face near the start of “Stranded.” Despite losing an eyebrow, he powered through and completed the show.
Killswitch Engage drew the largest crowd of the weekend on the Echo Stage, forcing stage security to earn their pay with a constant flow of crowd surfers for the entirety of their set. It also proved that they probably should have been placed on the main stage between Gojira and Lamb of God in place of In This Moment; though the latter’s stage production likely kept that from being an option.
Saturday night faded from death metal to hard rock radio giants as Papa Roach led into Disturbed to close out the main stage on Saturday. Papa Roach kicked off with power anthem “Last Resort,” enjoyed a visit from Maria Brink of In This Moment on “Gravity” and offered a respectful nod to The Prodigy, who were forced to cancel their appearance following the death of Keith Flint, by covering “Firestarter.” Disturbed, still fresh off their recent Evolution Tour, opened with “Are You Ready” from Evolution and hammered out infectious hits “Stupify,” “Ten Thousand Fists,” their masterful cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” and breakout smash “Down With the Sickness.”
Heavy winds prefaced the start of Sunday’s music, forcing the opening of the Wave Stage until production deemed it safe. That delay eventually evolved into a complete cancellation of performances on that stage, including highly anticipated sets from Refused and System of a Down offshoot Scars on Broadway. Afternoon thunderstorms also forced the Monster Energy Stadium Stage to close prior to The Distillers performance in the 4 P.M. hour, and complete evacuation of the grounds during The Hives set just before 6 P.M. While Chevelle and Bring Me The Horizon were forced to cancel their appearances. Fans were allowed to re-enter the stadium by 7:30 P.M. and the Foo Fighters made up for the loss with an inspired show that began at 9 PM. Joan Jett and the BlackHearts also got in a truncated set on the Echo Stage after the storm passed.
Weather aside, Sonic Temple satisfied all expectations and should take the reins as the premier annual hard rock event in the United States moving forward.
Follow Dan DeSlover on Twitter and Facebook @ConcertCapture
